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Chemistry

Cellulose stacks up

Nature volume 426, pages 611–612 (2003)Cite this article

The long chains of cellulose pack laterally into microfibrils of two crystalline forms. Comparison of the structures of these two forms reveals unexpected patterns of bonding that tie the chains together.

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Figure 1: Numbering system for carbon and oxygen atoms in two consecutive glucosyl units of cellulose.
Figure 2: Symmetry and directions of hydrogen bonding in cellulose1,2.

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  1. Department of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK

    Mike Jarvis

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  1. Mike Jarvis
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Jarvis, M. Cellulose stacks up. Nature 426, 611–612 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/426611a

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